Brentford ‘agree’ £17m deal for RB Salzburg’s Jannik Schuster | OneFootball

Brentford have reached an agreement to sign Austrian defender Jannik Schuster from RB Salzburg.

According to Fabrizio Romano, a €20m, about £17.2m, agreement has been struck for the 19-year-old.

Schuster has made 26 appearances for Salzburg this season, including four in the Europa League, and features for Austria’s U21s. The teenager, who turns 20 this month, returned to Salzburg last summer after starting at feeder side FC Liefering in 2023, where he made 39 appearances across three seasons.

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and Bayern Munich’s Konrad Laimer also came through Salzburg’s academy. Schuster comes from a family of ski jumpers, his father Werner coached Germany’s national team and his brother Jonas has competed at the Olympics.

Brentford have tracked him for some time. The six ft three in centre-back is viewed as physically imposing and comfortable bringing the ball out, though a little raw, and is regarded as one for the future.

With captain Nathan Collins, Sepp Van Den Berg and Kristoffer Ajer already in place, he is unlikely to go straight into the side, although he can play on either side of central defence. Collins and Van Den Berg have been Keith Andrews’ preferred pairing, with Collins on the left, while Ethan Pinnock is the only left-footed option and has made four appearances this term. Brentford are seventh with three games remaining, and if they are to reach Europe for the first time, Andrews’ thin squad will need significant bolstering this summer.

Source: Hounslow Herald